1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a content display system and method, which enable display of contents, such as, e.g., advertisements.
2. Description of the Related Art
As this type of apparatus, there is proposed an apparatus for monitoring whether the broadcast output of digital broadcasting is outputted as scheduled in broadcast programs (e.g. refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. 2001-268600). According to the broadcast program schedule monitoring apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. 2001-268600 (hereinafter referred to as a “conventional technology”), event information as for the schedule, and content identification information for identifying the content which constitutes the broadcast program are obtained from a broadcast program schedule server for managing the broadcast program schedule, and are sent to a comparing device. On the other hand, a packet including the event information and the content identification information is extracted from a transport stream, which is an output signal of a broadcasting apparatus, and is sent to the comparing device. Then, the comparing device compares whether or not they match, to thereby monitor whether the broadcast output is provided as instructed.
Whether or not the broadcast output of the digital broadcasting or the like is outputted as scheduled has no relationship with whether or not a terminal apparatus for displaying the broadcast output, such as, for example, a television apparatus, installed at home or the like accurately functions in its own installation location. Even if the broadcast output is outputted as scheduled, there is a possibility that the terminal apparatus cannot accurately display the broadcast output.
On the other hand, for example, in a case where the contents, such as advertisements, are distributed to the terminal apparatuses for display, installed in various locations, there is no meaning if the contents are not displayed on the terminal apparatuses in the end. Thus, it is necessary to actually monitor the displayed contents via the terminal apparatuses. In the conventional technology, however, it is only monitored whether the broadcast output is provided as instructed. Thus, it is hardly possible to avoid various problems, such as, for example, loss of business chances, appeal reduction, and reduction in cost-efficiency, which are likely caused if the terminal apparatuses do not accurately display the contents. Moreover, in order to deal with such problems, providing an observer and a monitoring device, such as a monitor camera, for example, as illustrated as the conventional technology in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. 2001-268600, is remarkably disadvantageous in terms of cost and business investment, and it does not provide a practically beneficial effect. Namely, the conventional technology has such a technical problem that various benefits obtained by accurately displaying the contents are possibly lost.